The Journey
by iheartmyscarf
Summary: Sokka misses Suki, and the gang goes to visit her. SokkaxSuki, AangxKatara
1. Chapter 1

Hello all! This is my first fanfic, so I hope it turns out well…

Disclaimer:

I don't own avatar… if I did, I would probably be murdered in my sleep by outraged Zutarians…

Sokka lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. It had been only about 2 weeks since he had seen Suki last, but already he wanted to see her again. He replayed their goodbye in his head, smiling at the thought, but also saddened that he didn't know when he was going to be able to talk to her again.

_Why don't I go visit her? _He thought to himself.

_All I have to do is take the ferry… what am I thinking? They'd never let me out of the city without an escort, which is the last thing I want. Besides, I don't have a passport, and I definitely won't be let on the ferry without one._ He got up, and walked into the garden. He sat down on a bench, and sighed. Another sigh came, as if in response. Sokka jumped, startled, and then,

"Aang, what are you doing out here?"

"Oh, hi Sokka!" Aang jumped off a tree branch high above Sokka's head, and landed lightly a few steps away.

_Showoff. _Sokka rolled his eyes.

"I didn't see you come out here… guess I was too absorbed in my own thoughts." Aang put on an obviously fake grin. Sokka put down his boomerang with a rather sheepish look. He had been brandishing it since he had heard the mysterious sigh that turned out to be Aang.

"Is… something wrong Aang?" He asked. Aang was quick to respond.

"No, I'm totally fine! Yep, doing great! What about you?"

"What, me?" Sokka puffed out his chest, feigning confidence. "I'm doing great!" Aang raised his eyebrows.

"I dunno Sokka, you looked pretty down to me…" He said, seemingly nonchalant.

"Well, what about you, with your sighs, and fake smiles?" Sokka said, annoyed by Aang's casual air.

"You were sighing too!" Aang remarked, his smile now genuine. He enjoyed getting Sokka worked up, sometimes his voice cracked. Realizing that Sokka was still going on about something, he interjected.

"Sokka, there is obviously something bothering both of us."

"Yeah, hadn't figured that one out," Sokka grumbled, annoyed that Aang had interrupted him mid-rant.

"I think I know what's bothering you," Aang said in a sing-song voice.

"Oh yeah? What?" Sokka said, challenging him.

"It's Suki," He said, with a hint of a self-satisfied tone. "You miss her." Sokka blushed, and stammered,

"What? That's not true!"

"You know it is, or you wouldn't have blushed so much," Aang said.

"Fine," Sokka said grudgingly. "I miss her. I just… feel like I didn't get enough time to talk to her…" There was only one answer, in Aang's opinion.

"Then go see her," He suggested. "It's clear you really like her. I'll help you get to Full Moon Bay."

"And just how are you going to do that?" Sokka asked smugly.

"Don't worry, I have a plan," Aang said, smiling. There was a hint of evil in that smile, Sokka thought.

"Okay… hey, you never told me what was bothering you," Sokka said, in an accusatory tone.

"I like a girl," Aang said, and with that, began to walk back into the house.

"Hey!" Sokka yelled at Aang's retreating back. "It's not my sister, is it?" Aang smiled to himself, and went inside. Sokka went into the house as well, and soon fell asleep, wondering what Aang was planning.

That was the first chapter. Hope you liked it! Please rate and review, I would like to know what you thought of the story so far…


	2. Chapter 2

Hello again! Thanks to people who reviewed, I'm really happy people read it!

Disclaimer:

I still don't own Avatar… but I shall make it my birthday wish!

The next morning, Sokka awoke groggily. His gaze drifted to the kitchen, and the yummy smell of whatever it was that Katara was cooking. He squinted at the food cooking, and his eyes widened. He immediately jumped out of bed.

"Meat!" he yelled, running towards the smell. Katara saw him coming towards her.

"Slow down, it's not ready yet," Katara said quickly. Sokka stopped, grumbling incoherently. He suddenly remembered the events of the previous night. He was going to visit Suki. He was so absorbed in his thoughts, he didn't see Toph, or her extended foot. He came crashing to the floor. When he rolled over, he saw Toph's face.

"You looked too happy," she explained. Sokka got up, once again grumpy.

"Oh yes, I see why you had to take action," he said sarcastically, as Aang and Katara exchanged a smile. Sokka noticed this, and his brows furrowed. He walked over to the cooking food, deciding that the smell of meat would take his mind off his worries of something going on between his sister and Aang. He peered down at the food, noticing it looked like it was cooked enough.

"Katara, it's ready!" he said, trying unsuccessfully to mask his excitement. Toph rolled her eyes.

"You'd think he never gets fed," she said, to nobody in particular.

After they ate, Sokka sidled over to Aang.

"So Aang, what plan have you come up with?"

"You'll see," Aang said, and with a mysterious smile, he went over to help Katara clean up.

_That kid,_ Sokka thought, then went over to Toph.

"Hey Toph, I need your opinion on something."

"Shoot," Toph said, leaning against the wall.

"Do you think Aang likes… you know…" he faltered. Toph decided to be blunt with him.

"Katara?" she finished his sentence. "Yeah, it's really obvious. I mean, the way he looks at her…" Sokka spluttered,

"That doesn't prove anything!" Toph pointed over at the two.

"Just look at them." Sokka turned, and saw Katara and Aang laughing together.

"Oh, I'm so going to kill him…" Sokka growled, glowering at Aang, who blushed as his hands touched Katara's as they reached for the same plate. Toph grabbed the back of his shirt.

"No!" She hissed, grabbing the back of his shirt.

"Don't be so selfish! Can't you see they're happy?" She turned his head, giving him a better look.

"Maybe you didn't have a good enough view before. See now? They're having a good time. Are you really going to ruin it?" Sokka looked at Toph sheepishly.

"No… I guess not…" he said grudgingly.

The day passed with no events, and shortly before sunrise, Aang woke up Sokka, which was not an easy task.

"Come on Sokka, we have to go," he said, shaking him by his shoulders. As Sokka fully regained consciousness, he saw Katara and Toph standing a little behind Aang.

"Come _on,_ Snoozles," Toph said, as Katara pulled Sokka out of bed.

"What's going on? Why are _they_ here?" Sokka said, pointing at Toph and Katara.

"Well, if you really have a problem with us, maybe you shouldn't come!" Katara said, glaring angrily at Sokka.

"Girls can be so moody sometimes…" Sokka said lightly.

"What? So you're saying that I'm moody because I'm a girl? I'm not the one who mopes when my things go missing!" Katara put her hands on her hips, clearly angry.

"That was once!" Sokka protested. "And it was my boomerang, it was important!" Aang stepped between them.

"Sokka, we need Toph and Katara to help us through the Serpent's Pass!"

"Why?" Sokka asked. "You're the Avatar, you can already earthbend and waterbend."

"I'm not as good as them! Besides," he added, "It wouldn't be fair to leave them here…" he smiled at Sokka, who was disarmed by his sudden display of happiness.

"Ugh, fine," Sokka growled. He would never admit it, but Aang was right. He knew how good at bending the two girls were, even though he would never admit it.

"Great!" Aang said, turning to face Toph and Katara.

"Come, on, let's go already," Toph said, and soon Sokka found himself going to visit the girl who had occupied most of his thoughts for the past 24 hours.

Yay!!!! Chapter 2 is done!!!! Chapter 3 shall be up soon, I promise! Again, rate and review… please? gives puppy dog look


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry it took me so long to put up this chapter, I had a bit of computer difficulty…

Disclaimer:

Avatar does not belong to me, but a girl can dream, right?

When they got to the inner wall, Sokka turned to Aang.

"How are we meant to get up there?" He pointed to the top of the wall.

"Watch this." Aang opened his glider and flew up the wall. Once he was at the top, he signaled to Toph and together they created a big staircase from the earth. Toph started up the stairs, calling for Sokka and Katara to follow. When they were all on top of the wall, Toph and Aang sank the stairs back into the ground. Sokka looked over the edge of the wall, and immediately walked back.

"Uh, Aang? How do we get down?" Aang peered over the edge.

"Easy! Just grab on," he said, pointing at his glider. Sokka looked at Aang incredulously.

"You want us to put out lives in the hands of you and your glider?"

"You've done it before," Aang shrugged. Katara stepped forward.

"He's right, Sokka. And we should be quick, so come on."

Once everyone had a firm grip, Aang jumped off the wall. They fell rapidly through the air, and everyone but Aang sank into a state of panic.

" I can't see!" cried Toph, her legs thrashing the air frantically. Sokka let out a scream, suddenly noticing how close the ground was. In the nick of time, Aang made an air bubble, and they landed on it, breaking their fall.

"I am now officially afraid of heights," Toph proclaimed, and proceeded to fall flat onto the ground.

"Yeah, could we take the elevator next time?" Sokka whined.

"Well maybe next tine you could try getting us up and down the wall!" Katara snapped.

"Fine, would you like me to earthbend us up?" Sokka said sarcastically. Aang broke up the argument.

"We have to get to the outer wall by sunrise," he said urgently. "We don't have time for arguments." He pointed at the sky, which had become brighter. He began to walk, Katara catching up with him to walk by his side. Sokka couldn't help but stare at the two of them, walking in complete silence and yet seeming to communicate all the same. Toph seemed to know what Sokka was staring at, and flicked him on the back of his head. "Don't say a word," she hissed quietly. Sokka felt his face grow warm; embarrassed that Toph could tell what he was worrying about so easily.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Toph said, staring straight ahead. Sokka shrugged.

"I don't know, it's just… she's my sister, and I don't want her to get hurt. I want to protect her." Toph shook her head.

"Well what will you do if she doesn't want your protection? She's not a baby, and she's definitely not helpless." Toph kicked a rock along the ground. Sokka looked down, following the rock's progress.

" I know, but I want to know that she's safe. That she won't get hurt." Toph laughed, and kicked the rock to the side.

"She's fighting the Fire Nation. She's not safe, and she's going to get hurt at one point. You can't avoid it, no matter how much you want to. But she trusts Aang with her life, something that you still don't want to do, no matter how much you've been through together." She looked at him, and Sokka felt uneasy. _How can eyes that can't even see look right through me?_ He shrugged again, feeling defeated.

"It's not that I don't trust him… I just…"

"Lemme guess, you don't want anyone to take away your sister? She's not going anywhere. First of all, she loves you. You're her brother, and she can't escape it. Secondly, Aang would never consider 'stealing' her. He's a good kid."

"Yeah… he's a good kid." Sokka's thoughts were interrupted by Aang's yelling.

"The wall!" Sokka looked up. Sure enough, in front of them loomed the gigantic outer wall.

"Want to earthbend us up now?" Katara said, smirking at her brother.

"Ummmm… I'll pass," Sokka said, taken aback by the size of the wall.

"Yeah, I thought so," Katara said, not trying to hide her smugness. Toph stepped in front of Sokka.

"Boomerang brain," she said, so quietly that only Sokka could hear. She shot out her arm, and a solid platform rose out of the ground.

"Everyone get on, I don't have all day," Toph jumped on to the platform and crossed her arms. They obliged, and when Toph felt everyone on the platform, she bended the platform up the side of the wall.

"Okay, everyone off, let's go," she moved her hands down, and the platforms sunk into the earth once more. She went to the other side and raised another platform, but she suddenly put her hand to the ground.

"Guards coming!" she hissed. Quickly, Toph and Aang opened a hole in the ground. They all jumped in and Toph closed the ground behind them.

"They'd better leave soon, or we'll run out of air. "Plus Katara, you're sitting on me…" Sokka said.

"Shhhh! They can't hear us or we'll get caught. They can earthbend too, you know," Katara whispered.

"Toph, are they still there?" Aang asked, trying in vain to listen for the guards. Toph put her hands to the ground above them.

"Yeah, they're still there… hang on." She took her hands off the ground and then punched the top. The earth lifted into the air, the soldiers along with it. Toph deposited the soldiers on top of a watchtower.

"Why didn't you just dump them off the edge?" Sokka asked.

"They're not our enemies. If we killed them, we would be considered traitors, and enemies of Ba Sing Se. We would be watched every minute, or worse, thrown out of the city." Katara looked at Aang. "We can't leave without Appa." She put her hand on Aang's shoulder. Sokka stepped in front of them.

"Katara, we're already being watched by the Dai Li."

"So we'd just get in more trouble if we did do anything to those guards," Katara said pensively.

"Hey, look at the sunrise," Aang said, wanting to take his friends minds off of their troubles. They all quieted and watched the sun rise over the mountains that made up the Serpent's Pass.

I finally finished… that was a longer chapter, although it wasn't that long… I'll try to put up more chapters soon, and remember, the Avatar season finale is December first!


	4. Chapter 4

Hi again! I'm trying to make up for all the days I didn't write, so for a few days I hope to be posting new chapters regularly. So um… yeah. That's all I got.

Disclaimer:

Ummm… I don't own Avatar. (having a serious brain fart today)

As they approached the Serpents Pass, Sokka grew nostalgic. His mind filled with images of Suki, and the kiss they had shared before they had parted ways. The image faded as Aang said,

"Look! The earth tent!" And pointed to the small tent that had recently sheltered a woman in labor. Sokka noticed Toph smirking, and glared at her, even though he was perfectly aware that she couldn't see it. He knew she was happily recalling how he had fainted after he had gotten an unexpected glimpse at the miracle of birth. Aang was busy reminiscing as well.

_Last time we were here, I promised myself I would tell her. Of course I didn't, but I told myself what I said was the same as telling her how I felt. It wasn't though, and I'm sure she didn't think of it like that anyway… Maybe I should try again. _The picture of Katara, tears rolling down her cheeks as she hugged him came to mind.

_Maybe she does like me. Aunt Wu did predict that she would marry a powerful bender…_ He shuddered, remembering the feeling of uncontrollable power that coursed through him whenever he was in the Avatar State. He was interrupted by Toph's voice as she said,

"Think fast, Twinkletoes!" Aang spun around as a large boulder came hurtling in his direction. With one swift movement, he jumped, drawing level with the boulder, and smashed it with his fist. Sokka turned around, witnessing Aang's earthbending display.

_Well I guess he could protect my sister… but what if he turned on her? But Aang wouldn't do that, he seems to really like her. Then again, it's always a possibility….Gah! It's so impossible to reason with myself!_ He kicked a rock, but instead of releasing his frustration, he only succeeded in jamming his toe. He yowled, both in anger and pain, and clutched his toe, hopping around to keep balance. Katara walked by him, telling Toph and Aang not to worry about him.

"Thanks for caring!" Sokka shouted after her.

"Well it's your own fault," Katara said calmly. Sokka stuck his tongue out at his sister, then limped to the front of the group, whimpering. He looked ahead, seeing the stretch of water where the serpent the pass had been named for resided. Aang turned to face his friends.

"We should travel above the water this time, just in case." Toph broke off a chunk of land, and it floated out onto the water, with her standing on it. Katara made a walkway of ice and they ran across it to join Toph. Aang and Katara stood at the back, bending the water to act as a propeller. Sokka stood at the front, shouting instructions to nobody in particular, and Toph sat in the middle of the makeshift boat, staring straight ahead. Sokka watched as they sped towards land, knowing that the mountains in front of him were the only things separating him from Suki. His face brightened as the dawn began to light the sky, the beginning of a new day.

Chapter 4 is (finally) done! Who saw the season finale of Avatar? It was so excellent! I cried so hard…. Numerous times… I'm pretty sure the season premiere is in March, which seems an awful long time to wait. Also, who else is really mad at Zuko? Because I kind of want to hit him right now, or something…


	5. Chapter 5

Hey alls! I realized that the last chapter was rather short… anyway, right now as I'm typing this; the Internet is not working… so if this is posted in like 20 days… you know why.

Disclaimer:

I don't own Avatar… not a single cabbage.

"I see it! Full Moon Bay!" Katara exclaimed.

"Let's go!" They all ran ahead. Aang couldn't help but be filled with guilt at seeing all the refugees, waiting for a ferry, hoping to make a new life in Ba Sing Se.

"They're all looking for a new beginning. None of them know what's waiting for them on the other end…" he choked on his words, remembering everyone's reluctance to speak of the war, and Long Feng's control of the city. Katara went over to him, and took his hand. "Aang, I know this makes you feel bad, but you can't tell anyone. We'd get kicked out of the city, and ultimately cause a lot of trouble." She tightened her grip on his hand.

"Besides," she added, "These people want to believe that Ba Sing Se is the wonderful place they've been waiting for. If you told them, they'd either become really sad, or not believe you. They'd think the Avatar was a liar, and that would be even worse for them than being in Ba Sing Se. At least they'll be safe there," she said gently.

"I guess you're right Katara," he said. "You usually are about this sort of thing." Smiling sadly, he turned to face her, but not making eye contact.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be able to sort everything out later," Sokka said, putting his hand on Aang's shoulder.

"Yeah, you're the Avatar. There's nothing you can't do, right?" Toph said, joining her friends. Aang felt comforted by their presence, and he turned to face Sokka."Anyway, this isn't why we're here. We should find Suki." Aang heard what he thought was a derisive snort from Toph, but Katara nudged her quickly. When they finally walked into the guarded cove, they realized how very crowded it was. There were people everywhere, and makeshift tents set up helter-skelter.

"Right, we should split up. Aang and Katara, you guys go that way, and Toph and I will go that way." They split up, and Sokka grabbed Toph's hand.

"In this crowd, it would be bad to get split up," he said.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Toph said, but as soon as Sokka turned around, she smiled down at the ground.

_He's holding my hand. Toph, don't be so stupid; he's looking for Suki. He doesn't think of me that way. I'm probably more like his sister, or something. That's why he took my hand, he wouldn't want his "little sister" to get lost. He would never think of me that way._ A tear slid out of her eye, as she let Sokka drag her along.

_Of course the one guy I've ever liked already has someone he loves._ She rubbed her eyes with her free hand.

_Whatever. I'm not jealous. He can do whatever he wants, I could care less. I don't really like him that much anyway; he's just… the first guy I've ever felt anything for. Just a little crush. I mean, the only boys I know are Sokka and Twinkletoes, and I just don't see Twinkletoes in that sort of way. My friend, but that's it. Sokka, on the other hand… I guess just something about him makes me feel… something. But it doesn't matter, I won't like him anymore. In fact, I refuse to like him. So there. I'm most definitely not jealous._

When they split from Sokka and Toph, Aang took Katara's hand.

" In this crowd, we need to stick together," he turned, and Katara felt a blush creep up her face, though she wasn't sure why. She had held hands with Aang numerous times, though it was different when he took her hand now.

_Do I like him? _She asked herself. _No, that can't be it. Can it?_ She stared blankly at the back of Aang's head, her hand limp in his.

_Maybe I do… I mean, it was me who suggested we kiss as a way out of the cave…_ She smiled a bit, remembering Aang's reaction to her suggestion. She realized now that he had not meant to hurt her, he was just embarrassed.

_But that's only because we were going to be trapped in the cave forever. I wouldn't have suggested it if it wasn't a last resort. Would I? What's wrong with liking him, anyway? _Her mind filled with images of Aang, thinking, bending, smiling...

_But last time I thought I liked someone, he betrayed me. I thought I could trust him, but he lied, _Katara thought, bitterly recalling Jet and his plan to wipe out an entire village.

_I don't want that to happen again, to become vulnerable. I know Aang would never do that, it's one of the reasons I love him… _ She subconsciously tightened her grip on his hand.

_Wait… did I just say love? Do I love him? _She became flustered, then resolute.

"Yes, I think I do…" she said out loud.

"Did you say something Katara?" Aang asked, letting go of her hand and turning to face her. "What? Uh, no…" she said, taking in the sight of his face, as if for the first time. She wanted to tell him what she had just realized, but she knew that she couldn't.

_I don't even know if he likes me too… _she thought.

"Okay! I must be hearing things!" Aang said, smiling. Katara loved his smile. The smile of a 13-year-old kid who wasn't just a kid. He was so much more, to the world, and to her. She wanted to throw her arms around him and kiss his smiling mouth, but she knew she couldn't. For now, she could only watch and wait. She took his hand.

"Come on, let's go find Suki."

I have realized that chapter 4 was really really short… ah well. This one is long. This is probably the fluffiest chapter I've written so far… the next chapter is the boys point of view!


	6. Chapter 6

Hello! So this chapter is the boys point of view, so don't get confused…. It starts where the last chapter started. So just keep that in mind….

Disclaimer:

I don't own Avatar. I own 2 Avatar shirts, 2 boxes of avatar band-aids, some Airheads wrappers with Aang on them, Avatar flipbook stickers (from the Airheads)… but not the actual series….

When they split up, Sokka took Toph's hand. He told her that they had to stick together, then gave it no further thought. He turned around as Toph said,

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Sokka tried to ignore her, he just wanted to focus on finding Suki. He remembered when they had reunited at Full Moon Bay, how he hadn't recognized her, and how she had kissed him on the cheek. He remembered his face growing hot, and the overwhelming tingly feeling that had passed through him. As he reminisced, he felt something, something that he hadn't felt since he held Yue's limp form in his arms.

_Could it be… love?_ He thought, eyes searching for Suki.

_Maybe it is, I mean, she makes me feel all… wait! Sokka, don't think that, it's not very manly…_ He sighed.

_Well it doesn't matter. I don't care. I mean, I do care. I care a lot. I… I love her. I think…_ He thought, still slightly doubtful. His eyes scanned the crowd for the green of the guard's uniform. He saw a flash of color, standing out from the duller tones of the refugee's clothing.

"Suki?" He began to run, dragging Toph behind him. "Suki!" Sokka reached her, and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around, and gasped. He kissed her. At that moment, all doubts of his feelings for her disappeared. When they broke apart, Sokka spoke.

"Hi."

Noticing the crowd, Aang grabbed Katara's hand.

"It would stink if we got split up," he said. Turning around, he smiled. Her hand was in his, and he never wanted to let it go. He realized that what he wanted most was to have her safe. He would defeat the Fire Lord, it was his duty. He would restore balance to the world, but what he really wanted to do was protect Katara. he did care about his Avatar duties, but they were something he felt he had to do, more than something he really wanted to do. He did want the war to stop, but he also kind of wanted someone else to do it. He didn't really care about impressing her,

_Although that would be alright..._ Aang smiled a little, picturing him, the hero, and Katara looking up at him, enamoured.

_But that's not as important as keeping her safe,_ he resolved.

_If anything ever happened to her, I... I don't know what I'd do._ He

tightened his grip on her hand, at the same time she tightened her grip on

his. He shivered, feeling her holding his hand.

_She is so beautiful, I'll never be good enough. She deserves a great _

_guy, and all I can give her is protection. Hopefully I can give her _

_protection._ He heard Katara say something, and turned around.

"Did you say something Katara?" Katara looked at him, and Aang

blushed.

_Why is she staring at me like that? Do I have something on my face? _

Katara seemed to realize she was staring, and blushed as well.

"What? No..."

"Okay! I must be hearing things!" He joked, and grinned, scratching

the back of his head.

_Oh, very witty remark, very smooth, that definitely impressed her..._ Aang

thought, mentally banging his head against a tree trunk. Katara took his

hands, smiling at the look that was on his face.

"Come on, let's go find Suki," she said, eyes gentle, but as Aang stared

into them, he thought he saw sadness. Wondering what was wrong, he

said,

"Are you okay?" Katara shook her head, distracted.

"Hm? Oh, no, I'm fine." Aang smiled, but didn't completely believe her.

"Yeah, let's go."

Chapter 6! I'm depressed... dunno why... maybe it's because we all have to wait

so long for the Avatar season premiere... right, well, bye then!


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